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Program plays crucial role in preventing blackouts

June 16, 2014

This Thursday (June 19) from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Penn State will again test University Park’s capability to reduce its electricity load when called upon during national or regional power emergencies. University Park occupants are requested to turn off all unnecessary electrical consumption under individual control. Last year’s test reduced the power load by 10,000 kw, nearly 28 percent. This was a similar percentage when compared to results from previous years and due to mild weather during the test, it resulted in the lowest measured load (24,500 kw) during any reduction event performed to date.

Thursday, June 19 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., University Park occupants are asked to turn off all unnecessary electrical devices.

The Office of Physical Plant (OPP) will be working behind the scenes to reduce the overall electrical load remotely during this one-hour test. However, all University employees and students are requested to turn off all unnecessary lighting, office equipment, coffee pots, dehumidifiers and air conditioning. University offices should stay open and operate in a normal manner while reducing their consumption of electricity.

This test event is part of an Emergency DR (Demand Response) program in which participants pledge to reduce their electrical energy use by a specified amount during high use periods of time. The objective of the program is to protect the day-to-day reliability of the regional grid upon which our campus relies. This reliability is important for utility companies because it helps them avoid a blackout. If successful, the University will receive compensation proportional to the load drop, and those funds will be used to support additional energy conservation projects. In 2013, the University spent $13.4 million on electricity for the University Park campus.

All employees are urged to do their part. Employees may notice that some indoor temperatures in non-critical spaces will be adjusted by 4 degrees to lower air conditioning loads. Other spaces may have their heating, ventilation and air conditioning equipment operation schedule changed to the “unoccupied” setting. Most other initiatives will be transparent to employees. The test will not cause any extended outages or major disruption of normal electrical services. All safety lighting and equipment is exempt and should remain on throughout the test.
Employees are empowered to reduce lighting in public spaces. This includes all empty classrooms, corridors and hallways where lower light settings are available. Corridors and hallways in most University Park Campus buildings are designed with lights that operate 24/7 which are connected to emergency power in case of normal power failure. These lights should illuminate the public spaces well enough to meet code requirements. Please contact OPP prior to the test if you have any questions concerning a particular space.

Here are recommended actions to take during the test:
• Shut off all office equipment and lights that are not needed (computers, monitors, printers, copiers, coffee makers and task lighting)
• Unplug iPod, digital camera and cellphone chargers not in use
• Keep exterior doors closed in air-conditioned buildings. Make sure operable windows are also closed
• Personal space heaters should not be used to compensate for excessive air conditioning and are not permitted in University buildings unless provided by OPP for extraordinary circumstances

Everyone is asked to cooperate by turning off all unnecessary electrical loads during this one-hour test. For specific further information, contact Mike Prinkey at 814-863-4091 or Alex Novak at 814-863-0432.